Press Releases
Media Requests: Members of the media can contact the press office by emailing Joseph_Plesha@murkowski.senate.gov or by calling 206-302-8317 and asking for the press office.
Murkowski Emphasizes an All of the Above Energy Policy at RETECH Conference
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today gave the following remarks at the RETECH conference, hosted by the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE): "Good afternoon, and thanks for the invitation to join you this afternoon. Admiral McGinn, I appreciate that kind introduction. I'd also like to thank you for your leadership at ACORE and your hard work on RETECH. "I'm told this conference could draw more than 3,000 attendees over the next couple of days. Not only will… Continue Reading
09.20.11
Murkowski Responds to Ketchikan Alaska Class Ferry Contract
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Murkowski today responded to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities' decision that Alaska Ship & Drydock (ASD) in Ketchikan has been selected as the construction manager/general contractor for the new Alaska Class Ferry: "I welcome Commissioner Luiken's news that Alaska Ship & Drydock has been chosen to oversee the construction of the new Alaska Class Ferry. The project could mean up to 200 jobs for Ketchikan whether in direct shipbuildi… Continue Reading
09.19.11
Murkowski: FERC Responsible for Protecting Power Grid Reliability
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to immediately initiate a formal process to address electricity reliability issues raised by the Environmental Protection Agency's regulatory agenda. In a letter to FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff, Murkowski requested the commission provide, within six months, a thorough analysis of the cumulative impact that proposed EPA regulations could have on the reliability of the nation's … Continue Reading
09.19.11
Murkowski Calls for Action on Pilots’ Bill of Rights
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski joined 31 of her Senate colleagues in sending a letter to Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Sen. John Rockefeller (D-WV) and Ranking Member Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), asking the committee to hold a hearing and markup of S.1335, the Pilot's Bill of Rights - legislation that grants aviators greater transparency in their interactions with the FAA. "Alaska's skies are our highways in many cases and we take to the air far more than residents of other… Continue Reading
09.15.11
Defense Bill Fully Funds Military Operations In Alaska
WASHINGTON, DC - The Senate Appropriations Committee today passed a $630.6 billion defense appropriations bill that fully funds military operations in Alaska and America's ongoing overseas contingency operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to Senator Lisa Murkowski - a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and the Appropriations Committee. The bill also includes a 1.6% across the board pay raise for military personnel. "I am proud that we were able to support our troo… Continue Reading
09.15.11
Law Enforcement in Alaska to Get Needed Federal Support
WASHINGTON, DC - Justice programs with significant importance to Alaska received millions in national funding today in an appropriations bill passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee, according to Senator Lisa Murkowski. The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate for a final vote. Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) - crucial to Alaska law enforcement because they allow police across the state to coordinate with other state agencies in the Northwest - received $35 million in federal f… Continue Reading
09.15.11
Murkowski Welcomes New Report on Domestic Oil and Gas Resources
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today welcomed the release of a report by the National Petroleum Council (NPC) that points to newly and greatly expanded domestic oil and natural gas resources that have been unlocked by recent and significant advances in technology. "This report underscores what I have been saying for a very long time: that our nation has a tremendous natural resource base. It's critical, not just to our energy security, but to our economic security as we… Continue Reading
09.15.11
Murkowski To Super Committee: “Go Big, Go Bold”
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Murkowski today shared the podium with a bipartisan group of 35 U.S. Senators assembled to encourage the work of the 12-member "Super Committee" that has been tasked with reducing the nation's debt - and share their thoughts about an even more aggressive path forward than originally envisioned. The three dozen Senators laid out their beliefs that a deficit reduction plan should: Include enough deficit reduction to stabilize the debt as a share of the economy, put the… Continue Reading
09.15.11
Murkowski: Energy Technologies Need to be Cost Competitive
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today made the following statement on the importance of making sure Americans have access to affordable energy during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee nomination hearing: "One of the issues that we continue to struggle with, especially in these difficult economic times, is what the government's role should be as we transition to the next generation of energy technologies. We hear a lot about the 'Valley of Death' for investm… Continue Reading
09.14.11
Alaska’s Fisheries To Receive “Smart, Targeted” Support
WASHINGTON, DC - Alaska's fisheries benefitted from funding decisions and a number of cost-effective adjustments in the language of an appropriations bill that passed the Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee today in a bipartisan vote, according to Senator Murkowski, a Subcommittee Member. The CJS Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2012 now goes to the full Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration tomorrow. "America is facing an increasingly high deficit, w… Continue Reading
09.14.11
Law Enforcement in Alaska to Get Needed Federal Support
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Murkowski announced today that justice programs with significant importance to Alaska had language approved by the Commerce Justice and Science subcommittee - and could mean millions in federal funding for Alaska's law enforcement. The bill received bipartisan support and now heads to the full Senate Appropriations Committee for a vote Thursday. Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) - crucial to Alaska law enforcement because they allow police across the state to… Continue Reading
09.13.11
“Without Healthy Oceans, We Do Not Have a Healthy Planet”
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski joined Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today to open up the discussions and mission of the newly launched U.S. Senate Oceans Caucus (SOC). Senator Begich and fifteen additional members of the SOC will also participate to create better informed and timely policy for America's coasts, estuaries and open oceans. After the SOC meeting concluded earlier today, Senator Murkowski shared her thoughts with the assembled media: "This is an opportunity for u… Continue Reading
09.12.11
Murkowski Welcomes Fall Interns to Washington, D.C. Office
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sen. Lisa Murkowski today announced the names of her college interns who will work in the Senator's Washington, D.C., office this fall. "It's one thing to learn theory and models of political science or international affairs in a college classroom," said Murkowski. "But on Capitol Hill my office works hard every day on concrete, pressing issues that Alaskans deal with constantly. I hope these young people find it illuminating as they begin their professional lives." Sarah … Continue Reading
09.12.11
Murkowski To Co-Chair U.S. Senate Oceans Caucus
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski will be a leader of the new bipartisan Senate Oceans Caucus when it assembles for the first time tomorrow, with the remaining co-chairs to be named at the event. "It's an honor to be a leader of this caucus, on behalf of the only state bordering two oceans," said Senator Murkowski. "The oceans are more than beautiful and important natural gifts, they are our farms, our factories of growth - and our future." The mission of the Senate Oceans Caucus (SOC… Continue Reading
09.12.11
Murkowski: Preemptive Veto Would Trample Scientific Process
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement in response to a news report that Washington Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell may seek a preemptive veto from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the proposed Pebble Mine: "Attempts to prejudge development in the Bristol Bay area before a permit application has even been submitted would make a mockery out of the federal environmental review process. A preemptive veto makes no more sense than a… Continue Reading
09.09.11
Murkowski: “America Stands Resilient, Vigilant and Strong”
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski shared her thoughts with Alaskans on the 10-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001: "Ten years ago, nearly 3,000 men and women lost their lives in New York City, at the Pentagon and in a quiet country field in Pennsylvania - simply for being Americans doing what we do: going to work, traveling to see relatives, or protecting our country and its citizens. "And while it happened a distance away from our state, it hit home for… Continue Reading
09.09.11
Murkowski Shares Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Speech With Senate Colleagues
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced and passed a resolution commemorating today, September 9, 2011 as International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Awareness Day. "During my time in the Senate, I have given many speeches recognizing FASD day. In each of these speeches, I stated that in Alaska we have the highest rate of FASD in the nation," Murkowski said in a speech submitted for the record. "Approximately 160 Alaskan babies are born each year affected by materna… Continue Reading
09.08.11
Murkowski: “He’s Reheating the Same Failed Ideas”
WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Obama addressed a joint session of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives tonight, unveiling his American Jobs Act. Afterwards, Senator Murkowski responded to the President's plan: "Alaskans, I had hoped that tonight the President would hear the majority of Americans asking for solid, comprehensive solutions that can get bipartisan support - but tonight the President offered us nothing new. "President Obama spent a lot of time sharing his plan with the coun… Continue Reading
09.08.11
Alaska’s Post Offices Are “More Than Statistics or Traffic Rates”
ANCHORAGE, AK - Senator Lisa Murkowski is pleased to announce that the United States Postal Service has confirmed they have removed all but 5 post offices from the original list of those being considered for closure in Alaska. "I appreciate that as the post office has been running numbers to find efficiencies, it found that many post offices originally considered for closure or transformation to the Village Post Office model are more than statistics or traffic rates - they're the focal points … Continue Reading
09.08.11
Murkowski Calls on EPA to Address Electricity Reliability Concerns
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, yesterday sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson asking the agency to defer implementation of a stricter federal regulation of power plants, the so-called "Utility MACT" rule, until it receives a full analysis of the rule's impact on electricity reliability from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. "We must consider the total impact this rule will have on the electric grid," Murkowski said. "The re… Continue Reading